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Here are a few of my observations as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim left Fenway Park, again, with their collective tails between their legs:
1. The Angels don’t get it.
John Lackey’s rant after the game about the better team not winning was an example of why the Angels can’t beat the Red Sox. Honestly, I agree with him, that the Angels have more talent. But they are not a world champion. They don’t have a “great” pitcher. They have too many weak spots in the lineup. And their fielding was an embarrassment. That being said, the Angels weren’t as tough as the Red Sox.
2. What’s up with David Ortiz?
He was all smiles afterward, which is a good sign (he cares about winning). But he has been a non-factor since the playoffs started last Wednesday. The Red Sox are going to need RBI, big RBI from Ortiz. The Sox, with Mike Lowell out, are very pedestrian on offense. The Red Sox need Ortiz to hit doubles and homers.
3. Jon Lester is not good …
He’s great. But he learned a lesson last night. If he’s going to be great he has to be an 8-inning pitcher more often than not. Lester, though, is bordering on unhittable. His ball, especially to right handers, is too active to hit. Lester has trumped Josh Beckett’s struggles. The Sox have an ace no matter what Beckett does.
4. Pedroia will revert to form.
I have a column in today’s Eagle-Tribune on this subject. Dustin Pedroia was trying to live up to the billing, M-V-P! He admitted to the fact. And what makes him go is getting on base. His RBI double opened the game up, at least for a while, in the fifth inning. His play in the field has been perfect. In short, I expect him to be MVP of the ALCS if Sox win.
5. Squeeze bunt controversy.
There is no controversy, despite ESPN’s radio color commentator Dave Campbell all but implying that Varitek dropped the ball on failed squeeze attempt by Erick Aybar. If you watch the video closely Varitek tagged Willits and then slid a full 10 feet before his glove hit the ground, forcing the ball free. It was a no-braining.
6. Squeeze bunt controversy II.
Should the Angels have squeezed in the first place? Hell, yeah. That’s what the Angels do. They manufacture runs as good as any team in baseball. I heard critics in the media blasting Mike Scioscia for the call on a 2-and-0 count. How about blasting Aybar, who missed the ball? If Aybar gets his bat on the ball, the Angels win the game. But Aybar missed it. Blame Aybar instead of the umps.
7. Sean Casey is the best.
No, not a player, just a guy. The Red Sox backup first baseman is enjoying this run as much as anybody wearing the uniform. Check out the celebration at homeplate last night. The slow Casey was the first guy at the seen jumping on Jason Bay after he hugged Varitek (he was already at home telling him to slide). Casey didn’t get an at bat in four games, but you’d never know it.
8. Eighth inning is THE problem.
The difference between winning and losing this series and eventual World Series title could come down one thing: The eighth inning. While Justin Masterson has shown a lot of moxie for a 23-year-old, he is not even close to a sure thing. This could be a problem against a lineup like Tampa’s. Hideki Okajima has basically proven that he’s a coin flip in big situations. Good and bad. Well, Masterson is probably good three out of every five situations. The bottm line is this is the only Red Sox weakness.
9. Dice-K will get his chance in Game 1 vs. Tampa.
The Red Sox have decided to go with their Japanese starter for Game 1 on Friday for a few reasons. Josh Beckett needs another day of rest. Jon Lester needs at least one day of rest, maybe more. And Dice-K deserves a chance to be The Man. The Red Sox have placed a lot of emphasis in the opener of playoff series under Francona. This is his chance to earn his mettle. He needs to go seven innings and allow two or fewer runs. That isn’t easy, but that’s the job of a guy who feels he is a No. 1. Will he be the Frustrating Dice-K we’ve come to know or will he be the Dominant Dice-K who has shown up every three or four starts.
10. Mark Teixeira is going to get a lot of money.
The Angels first baseman is a player. He did his job for the most part, sans a few homers, against the Red Sox. Every at bat is arduous with Teixeira. He’s just tough and smart. He was 7-for-15 against the Sox, but had only one RBI. The same with Vlad Guerrero, who was 7-for-15 but without an RBI. If the Sox didn’t have Lowell, I would venture to guess that the Sox and Yankees would be bidding for Teixeira.